The Boiler Room Bar has been a popular Bradenton bar and grill for decades.
BRADENTON — The smell of shaved rib-eye sizzling on the flat top grill grabs you upon entering The Boiler Room and often refuses let go of your clothes for hours after leaving. And that’s a good thing. It’s the scent of a beloved comfort food, one that has been cherished by Bradenton residents for decades.
The Boiler Room sign on Manatee Avenue West reads “home of the famous steak sandwich” and there’s about a 45-minute wait for one on Monday by noon as locals have learned that their neighborhood bar and grill, home to those sandwiches heaping with steak, cheese and veggies, will soon be shuttered.
“We’re leaning to closing on Saturday,” owner Matt Lavallee said by phone Monday morning before business hours. Arriving a couple hours later, I see a sign on the front of The Boiler Room that reads: “Closing for good Sat. 1-11.”
Lavallee declined to be interviewed but added that he does “appreciate the long journey with Bradenton.”
“I’ve been here all my life,” Lavallee said. “I love the community. They’ve been great patrons for many, many years.”
At The Boiler Room for lunch, I’m seated at the counter lined with about a dozen or so stools all facing the flat-top grill, domestic beer taps, take out window and TV. The man next to me, every seat is full, recalls visiting The Boiler Room since the “1980s or ’90s” beginning back when it occupied another nearby location on the same road that connects downtown Bradenton to Anna Maria Island. The current location, at 5600 Manatee Ave. W., has been home to The Boiler Room since at least when I started dining there in the early 2000s but probably dates back to the ’90s. Tedd Stewart, who owns the building, declined comment on its future when reached on his cell phone Monday afternoon.
For those not familiar with The Boiler Room, the main attraction is definitely those cheese steak sandwiches that come “all the way” with onions, peppers and mushrooms paired with American, provolone or Swiss cheese for a mere $9.50. There are also chicken, ham and veggie options for a dollar or two less.
The chicken wings and chili are also popular menu items along with the shoestring fries and the “Famous Onion Strings.”
Back in 2013, I wrote a review of the Bacon Cheeseburger, noting that “the patties are mid-sized flavor sponges absorbing all that cheese steak tastiness from the flat-top grill. Accentuate with thick, crispy bacon, a couple slices of Swiss cheese, plenty of pickles, onions, iceberg lettuce and mayo between two basic white bread buns and you’re grasping a handful of scrumptiousness. Throw in an order of fabulously thin fries and wash the meal down with an ice cold mug or can of domestic brew.”
Yes, any article about The Boiler Room would be remiss for not mentioning the beverages. In many respects, it’s an old school beer joint, a laid-back place where folks go to drink Budweiser and such from pitchers, mugs, long necks and even cans. In fact, a can of Bud will set you back a measly $1.50. Tuesday through Thursday. There are drink (and food) specials throughout the week with a beer typically costing no more than a couple bucks.
The Boiler Room attracts plenty of families, too, for the inexpensive dinners and perhaps a chance to play on one of the two pool tables that separate the counter from the booths that line the opposite wall. By the back door, there’s a vintage Ms. Pac-Man arcade game as well as foosball and a jukebox that seems to always be blaring country and Southern rock. On Monday, though, at lunch, everyone seems too busy eating those famed steak sandwiches, or talking about how they’re going to miss the place, to mess with the entertainment options.
I recognize Lavallee getting out of his classic SUV as I’m exiting and decide to not bother him after already trying earlier on the phone.
“I just want to walk out quietly,” he said Monday morning.
Chances are, this final week will be one of his busiest ever, as several generations of Bradenton residents stop by to say goodbye while savoring one last cheese steak and perhaps sipping a cold beer or two.
READ MORE: Restaurant News: Oak & Stone rooftop bar to open next week in downtown Bradenton
READ MORE: 12 great restaurants on Anna Maria Island
Wade Tatangelo, entertainment editor, can be reached via email at wade.tatangelo@heraldtribune.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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